Business membership organisation The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has launched a package of mental health initiatives in order to increase the support available to its 209 full and part-time employees.
The mental health package, which will launch this week in conjunction with World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10 October 2019, includes access to internal mental health first aiders. A total of 14 employees from across the business underwent training provided by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) at the end of September 2019; this equipped staff with the skills to support employees’ wellbeing, spot the signs of mental ill health, signpost recovery support, break down barriers surrounding mental health and listen in a non-judgemental way.
Alongside this, FSB will ensure that all employees have access to FSB Care, a service run by nurse advisers that provides advice and emotional support as well as access to therapy treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
FSB is also introducing a new mental wellbeing hub on its staff intranet, which will feature relevant resources and information on various aspects of mental health.
The support package is being launched to employees using an internal communications campaign this week. This includes both online and offline communications such as posters, team meetings, articles and blogs on the intranet and question and answer sessions delivered by the new mental health first aiders.
Julie Lilley (pictured), chief executive officer at FSB, said: “As we continue to work to help our members promote positive mental wellbeing for themselves, as a small business ourselves, we’re now focusing on a range of initiatives that will have a positive impact on our employees.
“Just like all smaller [businesses], we want to be a responsible employer and attract and retain the best people we can. We want to put strategies in place to bring the best out of every individual in our talented team. This will also improve productivity, meaning that we can better continue to offer our members the best and ensure that the voice of small business continues to be heard by government at all levels.”
